CM3212 — Transition Metal Chemistry

Academic Year 24/25 - Semester 2

Assessments:​​



CA1: 25%


CA2: 25%


Finals: 50%



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Lecturers: Dr Tan Wee Boon (Part 1); Dr Jeremiah Chen (Part 2)
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Course Contents

1st half: brief introduction to group theory and its applications, bonding in TM compounds, reaction mechanisms of ligand substitutions in TM compounds, descriptive d block chemistry.

2nd half: metal cluster chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, TM in nanochemistry.
 

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No. of Responses : 1​

Course Difficulty (1-5): 4​

Time for learning content (hrs): 5

Time to complete assignments (hrs): 2

Course Pace: Just right

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REVIEWS

What advice would you give to someone considering taking this course?

DolleEicir: Be prepared to go through your notes multiple times, as it does require you to take time to fully understand what has been taught, which in turn demands consistent effort, especially if you haven't learnt CM3111. You probably shouldn't overload (but I did), as the exam can be rather intense. Do not forget your fundamentals like MO theory, acid-base theory, thermodynamics and kinetics, as these aspects will be covered, but specified for transition metal complexes.

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What did you enjoy or find most useful from this course?

DolleEicir: The fact that it was rather difficult to learn, and required multiple re-reading of the notes, gives you the satisfaction when you finally understand what is being taught, and can finally connect the dots between the lectures. Both Dr Tan and Dr Chen were really engaging and friendly, so it really makes the class enjoyable despite its difficulty.

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What aspects of the course did you find most challenging, and why?

DolleEicir: The content itself is really difficult, as it requires a good understanding of MO theory, which will lead into the understanding of ligand field theory (LFT) as a start. A good deal of 1st half is being able to justify the trends that occur with the concepts you have learnt, but more than that, recognise that there are many exceptions, and by extension being able to justify why these exceptions occur. 2nd half is relatively fine, as you finally are able to see how transition metals (TM) can be applied in various ways, as well as being able to learn a little more about f-block elements, which is often hardly taught or difficult to learn about.
 

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What resources did you find most helpful in helping you better understand the course material?

DolleEicir: Inorganic Chemistry 5th Ed, by Miessler and Tarr is an amazing book. Most of the content in the 1st half are covered there. Dr Tan and Dr Chen are really helpful too, as they will do their best to explain and help you understand the concepts and theory taught.

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What other courses do you think should be taken before or concurrently with this module?

DolleEicir: Highly recommended to take CM3111 first or concurrently with CM3212. It is definitely possible to do with just CM2112 as its pre-requisite, just requires more effort to bridge the gap as some of the content is taught fundamentally in CM3111. Having done CM2133 and/or CM3131 would be good, as both thermodynamics (CM2133) and kinetics (CM3131) will be discussed during the 1st half of the course.